DUST 514 is the new MMOFPS and gives a new take on first person shooter games. As a fan of FPS games DUST 514’s approach is very refreshing. It is not like your normal FPS and here are 5 reasons why.

It’s free!
DUST 514 is completely free. It’s not often you come across a free FPS game and certainly not one that is given this much investment by its developer. CCP already has the hugely successful MMORPG EVE Online that has been running for nearly ten years and has both games based in the same universe, allowing for interaction between the two. While EVE makes money through subscriptions, DUST 514 makes money through microtransaction purchases. The game will receive 3 or 4 free sizeable expansions a year to keep the game constantly evolving and fun to play.

The story is entirely in the online
While your usual FPS has a campaign that houses the story and an additional online multiplayer to add a different dimension, DUST has everything in the online multiplayer. In-game, four empires and user-created corporations wage wars on each other to claim territory and amass wealth. DUST and EVE players have the option to work with and against each other to achieve these objectives. Soon there will be a planetary conquest mode that gives corporations the chance to hold their own territory that they will have the responsibility of defending and expanding. This enables players to develop part of the story themselves.

It has its very own economy
Now this is something you probably haven’t seen in a game before and is probably one of the features of DUST 514 that is difficult to get your head around. You can normally expect to play online and gain rank like in Killzone or Call of Duty but in DUST you’re playing to improve your equipment. If you want to compare this part of the game to a normal FPS then imagine it like this: where a player’s rank will normally reflects how good someone is, a player’s equipment will usuallyreflect how good the player is in DUST.

You get equipment through the game’s very own market. To buy the equipment you first have to possess the skills to use it and then have enough ISK to buy it. (At this point it’s worth noting that whenever you die in battle you lose all the equipment you had on you.) You train skills using skill points (SP) which are earned actively in battle and passively, whether you’re on the battlefield or not. You also earn ISK from participating in battles. The better you perform the more SP and ISK you will be rewarded. And as you lose equipment in battle you will restock after each battle and so the cycle begins – the DUST 514 economy.

Deep character building
So considering what has already been said in this article you may be thinking that the longer a person has been playing this game the more considerable advantage they will possess over players who have not been playing for quite as long. This is not necessarily true and this is because of the deep character building involved. I’ve been put off games like Call of Duty where if you don’t buy the game immediately the online multiplayer is a joke for new players where you will certainly be dominated by players who have been playing from launch as they have more advanced features available to them. This is not the case with this game.

In DUST, players who have been playing longer will have been able to sink SP into more skills than you if you have only been playing for a few weeks or so. That is guaranteed. However, the deep character building means that it’s no easy feat to get the top notch equipment nor is it easy to obtain the skills that enhance the best equipment. Not to mention there is also the tough decision of which skill do you focus on? There’s so many that even if you focus solely on one you will lack greatly in all others. This means that you could invest all of your skill points into an assault class but as soon as someone starts sniping you in a match your assault fitting won’t be able to counter it. This is the beauty in the character building. Even if you come up against a player with very good equipment you have the option to play on their weaknesses and therefore, deploy a fitting that counters theirs that may only involve a few well placed skills.

Multiplayer that offers more if you want it
DUST 514 gives you the opportunity to play a multiplayer game just for the fun of it or if you want more than that it gives you the option to get more involved and consequently, enjoy the game more. One example of this are corporations, which add a great dimension to this game. Whereas in a normal FPS you may have a clan you play with, a corporation in DUST offers you something similar but gives you a purpose. In Planetary Conquest mode you and your corporation have territory in the EVE Universe to capture and defend which sets the stakes a whole lot higher for corporation battles.

Another example is that if you want to do better in this game you have to think strategically. This goes for you individually and for your corporation. If you’re playing for more than just the fun of it you need a strategy for what skills you upgrade, a strategy for each map you find yourself in, a strategy for being agile against opponents and a strategy if you want your corporation to climb the leader boards and ultimately, claim territory.

And the best part if you choose to get more involved with DUST 514? Your character will be there forever. You will not have to start all over again like you do when you buy other FPS games in franchises. At each expansion the game simply gets updated, your character will remain. So when you’re investing in skills it will be for the long term requiring a careful strategy.

If this has made you curious about this new sci-fi shooter, check out PSU's review and then click below to sign up to our corp.